Technical Abstract:
To establish nutrient values for fast food fried chicken, sample compositing procedures were validated by comparing moisture and fat content of skin from four chicken parts. Samples were purchased from 12 fast food outlets nationwide using a probability sampling plan. Skin samples were derived from a subset of 5 randomly selected outlets. Moisture and fat contents were determined by oven drying and Soxhlet extraction, respectively. Analytical quality was assured by including duplicate samples, in-house controls and certified reference materials. Data were evaluated using the mixed model procedure of SAS with part defined as fixed, and state and state*part interaction defined as random. Residual variability in moisture content differed among parts. ANOVA indicated a nearly significant difference (p=.07) in moisture content among the parts, with a significant difference between skin on drum (31.8%; p<.04) and wing (25.3%; p<.04). ANOVA indicated differences among parts for fat content (p<.02). Mean skin fat content of drum (30.6%) was less than that for breast, thigh, and wing (35.2 - 36.9%; p<.05). Inconsistent amounts of adhering breading and natural variation in subcutaneous fat may account for noted differences. Preliminary results indicate that skin from fried drumsticks should be analyzed separately from the skin of the other parts. Funded by: USDA & NIH, Y1CN5010.